Extreme Tech gives us some good speculation on how to build a Windows Vista system now. It’s based on the Beta 2 version due out in April, and a lot of surmises on the system requirements. Here’s a taster:

“… it’s likely that the Windows Vista’s feature list is now stable enough that we can predict what kind of system you’ll need to build today to accommodate the new OS. Here are a few details we do know:”

* Vista moves away from GDI/GDI+, Microsoft’s current graphics API used for the Windows desktop. Instead, Microsoft will use a desktop compositing engine built on DirectX. Each window will be its own 3D surface. There will be a fallback mode for systems that can’t handle the 3D load. Note that GDI apps will run, because a GDI layer will exist atop the Desktop Window Manager.
* Windows Vista will ship on DVD discs, so a DVD-ROM drive, at a minimum, is required.
* Microsoft is encouraging hard drive makers to develop hybrid drives. Hybrid drives with a large flash memory cache on board, probably 128MB or larger.
* The Windows scheduler has been improved to take better advantage of dual and future multicore processors.
* Support for HD-DVD will be built into the operating system.
* Versions with Media Center capability will support CableCard for HD playback over Cable TV connections, provided you’re a subscriber.

Microsoft is making it easier for developers to get on the Windows Vista bandwagon by releasing a new Applications Programming Interface (API).

WinFX is based on .NET Framework 2.0, which represents a major shift from the current Win32 model. ITJungle comments: “As the go-to .NET API for all future versions of Windows starting with Vista (although Microsoft has committed to back-cast WinFX to support Windows XP and Windows Server 2003), WinFX will enable programmers to take advantage of new Windows technologies. And as the first implementation of a ‘managed code’ model, WinFX will help developers write significantly cleaner code in less time, according to Microsoft.”

For more information on the January WinFX CTP and to download the code, go here.

The projected successor to Windows Vista, shipping late this year, has been named Vienna. An earlier name was Blackcomb, which is a ski resort in Canada, as was Whistler, the code-name for Windows XP.

Microsoft, in a statement to CNET News.com said: “The ‘Blackcomb’ code name has been changed to ‘Vienna,’ but we do not have any other details to share on timing or focus. This does not reflect a big change for us; we have used city code names in the past, which are derived from cities/locations in the world known for great ‘vistas’–the kinds of places we all want to see, experience and that capture the imagination. Vienna fits with this concept.”

We know that Redmond is planning quicker releases for its major software in future. It also seems likely that Vienna will embrace WinFS, the file storage system pulled from Vista.

Will XPS (XML Paper Specification), codenamed Metro, dislodge Adobe’s PDF as the de facto document standard? That’s the question being asked now that the format is set for inclusion in both Windows Vista and Office 12. When Metro was unveiled nearly a year ago, many industry experts laughed at the presumption.

Now Microsoft and its supporters are outling the advantages of XPS compared to PDF. ITJungle quotes Charles LeCompte, president of Lyra Research: “The release of the XPS standard may very well become one of the major milestones of PC-based imaging history. All documents will be able to print to XPS without an intermediary file converter, such as Acrobat PDF. XPS aims to integrate that functionality in all Windows applications, not just high-end, professional applications, as with PDF.”

As a caveat, LeCompte also said that XPS’ place success is not a certainty, and needs strong support from Microsoft to make it happen. “Historically, Microsoft’s forays into new territories have been slow from the gate. Take, for example, the early clunky versions of Windows and Internet Explorer. Adobe Acrobat’s strong head start in the industry and its near ubiquity coupled with very sophisticated, evolved tools for workflow management and cross-platform portability demand that XPS comes out strong to be considered more than a PDF-light variation.”